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MANNING

IN ACTION

Brendan G. Lim

WITH Jerry Cheung AND Jeremy McAnally

MacRuby in Action

MacRuby in Action

BRENDAN G. LIM WITH JERRY CHEUNG AND JEREMY MCANALLY

MANNING SHELTER ISLAND

For online information and ordering of this and other Manning books, please visit www.manning.com. The publisher offers discounts on this book when ordered in quantity. For more information, please contact

Special Sales Department

Manning Publications Co.

20 Baldwin Road

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Email: orders@manning.com

©2012 by Manning Publications Co. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in the book, and Manning Publications was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial caps or all caps.

Recognizing the importance of preserving what has been written, it is Manning’s policy to have the books we publish printed on acid-free paper, and we exert our best efforts to that end. Recognizing also our responsibility to conserve the resources of our planet, Manning books are printed on paper that is at least 15 percent recycled and processed without elemental chlorine.

Manning Publications Co.

20 Baldwin Road

PO Box 261

Shelter Island, NY 11964

ISBN: 9781935182498

Printed in the United States of America

Development editor: Sara Onstine

Technical proofreader: Nick Howard

Copyeditors: Lianna Wlasiuk, Tiffany Taylor

Proofreader: Melody Dolab

Typesetter: Marija Tudor

Cover designer: Marija Tudor

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 – MAL – 18 17 16 15 14 13 12

preface xiii acknowledgments xiv about this book xvi about the authors xix about the cover illustration xx

PART 1 STARTING WITH MACRUBY

1

Introducing MacRuby 3

1.1 Introducing MacRuby 4

The MacRuby difference 4 ■ Setting up your environment 5 Hello World, part 1 6

1.2 Cocoa: What you need to know 7

Important classes and concepts 8 ■ How Cocoa implements common design patterns 10

1.3 Objective-C and Ruby: what you need to know 11

A shared heritage 12 ■ Objective-C 101 13 Ruby 101 17

1.4 Diving into MacRuby 21

Class structure 21 ■ Creating MacRuby classes 23

Syntax and method signatures 24 ■ Using Ruby and Objective-C methods 26

■ Creating user interfaces 27

1.5 Hello World, part 2 28

Creating an Xcode project 29 ■ Creating the interface 30 Creating the controller 32 ■ Connecting the interface and controller 34

1.6 Summary 35

2 Using Macirb and the Apple development tools 37

2.1 Using external libraries with MacRuby 38

Loading frameworks 38 ■ Loading Objective-C libraries as bundles 39 ■ Loading Ruby gems 41

2.2 Exploring Macirb 42

Comparing the Ruby and MacRuby consoles 42

Working in the MacRuby console 43 ■ Macirb tips and tricks 43

2.3 Building a Pomodoro application in Xcode 47

Creating a new MacRuby project 47 ■ Constructing the interface 50 ■ Creating the controller 53 ■ Connecting the controller and the interface 56 ■ Running the application 58 Releasing the application 58

2.4 Summary 63

3 Going beyond the basics with Xcode Interface Builder 64

3.1 About Interface Builder 65

History of Interface Builder 65 ■ Getting around Interface Builder 65

3.2 Creating connections 69 Understanding outlets 69 ■ Understanding actions 71

3.3 Creating the Todo List application 73

Constructing the user interface 73 ■ Creating the model 79 ■ Creating the controller 79 ■ Connecting outlets and actions 82 ■ Running and packaging the application 83

3.4 Summary 84

4 Using the delegate pattern 87

4.1 What are delegates? 88

How do delegate methods work? 88 ■ Implementing the delegate pattern 89

4.2 Delegation as an extension technique 92 Delegation the Cocoa way 93 ■ Delegation using Forwardable 93

4.3 Using delegation in a custom MacRuby web browser 94

Creating the browser interface 94 ■ Setting up the controller 95 ■ Implementing delegate methods in the controller 98 ■ Connecting outlets and actions 100 Taking MacRuby Browser for a spin 102

4.4 Summary 103

5 Notifications and implementing the observer pattern 104

5.1 Notifying multiple objects 105

When to use notifications 105 ■ Managing notifications 106

5.2 Setting up notifications 107

Creating notifications 108 ■ Posting notifications to the notification center 108

5.3 Queuing notifications 109

Using posting styles 109 ■ Coalescing notifications 110 Queuing multiple notifications 112 ■ Removing notifications 113

5.4 Responding to notifications 114

Adding notification observers 114 ■ Removing notification observers 116

5.5 Building an iTunes-notification observer 116 Creating the script 116 ■ Running the script 118

5.6 Summary 118

6 Using key-value coding and key-value observing 120

6.1 Simplifying code with key-value coding 121 Accessing object properties with KVC 121 ■ Handling unknown keys 123 ■ Understanding key paths and collection operators 125

7

6.2 Using KVO to implement observers 128

Adding and removing observers 128 ■ Manually notifying observers of changes 129 ■ Responding to observed objects 130

6.3 Building out the Product Inventory application 131

Creating the user interface 131 ■ Using KVC to retrieve product information 132 ■ Adding features with KVC and KVO 137

6.4 Summary 140

Implementing persistence with Core Data 141

7.1 Introducing Core Data 142

Core Data concepts 142 ■ Differences between Core Data and traditional databases 142 ■ Creating a base Core Data project 143

7.2 Understanding the persistent store and managed objects 145

Anatomy of a persistent store 146 ■ Working with the managed object model 147 ■ Working with entity properties 149 Defining a managed object class 152

7.3 Working with managed objects 154

Creating managed objects and updating properties 154 Persisting changes to managed objects 155

7.4 Retrieving objects from Core Data 157

Filtering and sorting with predicates and descriptors 157 Fetching objects from Core Data 158

7.5 Creating a Core Data version of the Todo List application 160

Building the user interface 160 ■ Creating the tasks controller 161 ■ Connecting the interface to the controller 164 Running the application and inspecting the persistent store 166

7.6 Summary 167

8

Core Animation basics 168

8.1 Introduction to Core Animation 169

What is Core Animation? 169 ■ Class structure 169 Core Animation’s rendering architecture 170 ■ Creating a basic animation with Cocoa Animation 171

8.2 Core Animation layers 173

Layer coordinate systems 174 ■ Layer geometry 174

Layer content 175

8.3 Animating with Core Animation 179

Basic animations 179 ■ Keyframe animations 181

Grouping animations 182

8.4 Summary 185

PART 3 MACRUBY EXTRAS

9

HotCocoa 189

9.1 Introducing HotCocoa 189

Getting started 190

9.2 Built-in mappings 191

Applications and menus 191 ■ Windows and controls 193

More advanced layouts 198

9.3 Building a speech application using HotCocoa 200 Laying out the views 200 ■ Making your application speak to you 201

9.4 Summary 202

10

MacRuby testing 203

10.1 Testing MacRuby applications with MiniTest 203

10.2 Installing and configuring MiniTest 205

10.3 Application vs. logic testing 207

10.4 Where to start testing 209

Application initialization 209 ■ Core Data 210 Managing persistence store for testing 212 ■ Testing predicates 214

10.5 Summary 215

11 MacRuby and the Mac App Store 216

11.1 Introducing the Mac App Store 217

Benefits of releasing on the Mac App Store 217 ■ Limitations of the Mac App Store 218

11.2 Knowing the App Store rules 219

Functionality 219 ■ Metadata 219 ■ Location 219

User interface 219 ■ Privacy 220 ■ Charities and contributions 220 ■ Legal requirements 220

11.3 Submitting a MacRuby application 220

Creating certificates 220 ■ Registering your Mac App ID 223 Preparing icons and screenshots 224 ■ Adding your application to iTunes Connect 225 ■ Packaging and submitting your application 227 ■ Dealing with application rejection 231 ■ Submitting an update 231

11.4 Summary 231

appendix A Scripting with MacRuby 232 index 241

preface

When I was first learning Ruby, I immediately fell in love with the language. I knew early on that I wanted to work with Ruby professionally, which became possible later when I created my first startup using Ruby on Rails.

I later worked for a Ruby on Rails consulting company where I spent a few years focusing on Ruby before I headed up the mobile development department. I’ve had an interest in mobile development since I was young and it was a very exciting time to work on iOS and Android applications. With iOS development came the need to learn Objective-C, which ultimately led me into the world of Cocoa for Mac development.

I developed a few Mac applications personally and professionally and thought how great it would be if I could write Mac applications using Ruby. I’d heard of RubyCocoa, but I knew of its shortcomings. Then I learned about MacRuby: it was the solution I’d been waiting for.

When I was contacted by Manning to work on this book, I knew I’d be able to reach many other individuals who were Rubyists and who wanted to create rich Mac applications without having to use Objective-C. This book is meant for you if you love the Ruby language and want to get into Mac development

acknowledgments

Putting together a book like this is no easy feat, and many people behind the scenes worked countless hours to get the book into your hands. First and foremost, everyone at Manning deserves all the thanks we can give them. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to create such a great book for you.

We interacted frequently with a few individuals from Manning and would like to specifically mention them. We’d like to thank Troy Mott, our acquisitions editor, who originally came to us to work on this book and helped us through thick and thin. Sara Onstine, our development editor, guided us through the formalities of writing a book like this. And Marjan Bace, our publisher, always challenged us to find ways to improve the book’s content and organization.

We’d also like to thank our book’s production team. Lianna Wlasiuk, Tiffany Taylor, and Melody Dolab, our copyeditors and proofreader, read the entire manuscript and made sure everything was organized and presented properly. Nick Howard, our technical proofreader, caught errors that we didn’t know were there.

Over the course of the development of the book, many people generously volunteered to review it to help make it as good as it could be. These reviewers deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the impact they made through their feedback. Our thanks to Pradeep Elankumaran, Brent Collier, Adam Bair, Philip Hallstrom, Mike Stok, Alex Vollmer, Coby Randquist, Jerry Cheung, Greg Vaughn, Warner Onstine, and Daniel Bretoi.

BRENDAN would like to thank his father, Chhorn, his mother, Brenda, and his two brothers, Chhorn and Chhun, for their support and encouragement. He also wants to thank his wife, Edelweiss, for her love and support and for letting him spend night and day working on this book. Last but not least, thanks to Pradeep Elankumaran, who let Brendan spend so much time writing this book after they both quit their jobs to focus on their startup, Kicksend.

JERRY would like to thank his parents, Margaret and Kevin, and his wise-guy brother Randall. He’d also like to remind Wendy that he beat her to her thesis (thanks, love, for letting me win this one). A special shout-out goes to Brendan for getting Jerry interested in MacRuby and Mac development in the first place.

JEREMY would like to thank his wife, friends, and dogs for sustaining him through yet another writing project. Without their support, he would likely end up a raving maniac under an overpass tapping out code examples while throwing cans at passing cars.

about this book

MacRuby in Action was written to give Rubyists the ability to create rich Cocoa applications for the Mac OS X platform without having to learn Objective-C. Our goal is to have you, the reader, creating amazing Cocoa applications using MacRuby by the end of the book. Throughout the book, you’ll learn in the ins and outs of MacRuby while exploring the Cocoa framework, design patterns, system scripting, testing, and getting your application into the Mac App Store. We know that sometimes the best way to learn is to get your feet wet. That’s why you’ll be creating useful Mac applications along the way so you can apply the key topics as you learn them.

Who should read this book

This book is aimed at developers interested in writing software for the Mac platform. It doesn’t matter if you’re new to both the Mac and the Ruby language or you’re an experienced Ruby developer looking to learn how to write Mac apps. If you have the desire to create beautiful Cocoa applications for the Mac platform and want to do so using the elegant and highly productive Ruby language, then this book is for you. If you’re new to Ruby, we give you a brief overview of the language so you’ll feel comfortable enough to take on the rest of the book.

MacRuby in Action is also a more approachable introduction to Cocoa development than traditional Objective-C books. Throughout the book, we explore practical code examples that you’ll face when creating your own applications. MacRuby in Action can act as a guide for using MacRuby and Cocoa from the ground up, or you can use it as a reference if you’re looking to dive deeper into MacRuby.

Roadmap

The book has 11 chapters divided into three parts as follows:

Chapter 1 explores the inner workings of MacRuby and how to set up your development environment. There’s also an introduction to Ruby and an overview of Objective-C syntax. We then go into the MacRuby syntax, give a few examples, and end with two “Hello World” examples.

Chapter 2 takes a deeper dive into MacRuby with more in-depth examples. We look into using external frameworks, Ruby gems, and the MacRuby console. At the end of the chapter, you build a MacRuby Pomodoro application.

Chapter 3 talks about Apple’s development environment tools. You spend more time using Xcode’s Interface Builder to create rich Cocoa user interfaces. You then use your Interface Builder knowledge to create an application to manage to-do lists.

Chapter 4 introduces and explains a code design technique known as delegation. This design pattern is used often in the Cocoa framework and is important to know because it’s a core concept. You explore delegation by creating a web browser with MacRuby.

Chapter 5 covers Cocoa’s notification system, which lets you set observers throughout an application to listen for and react to changes. This is another pattern that is used frequently in Cocoa. At the end of the chapter, you build an iTunes notification observer.

Chapter 6 explores key value coding (KVC) and observing. KVC is a mechanism in Objective-C that’s used throughout Cocoa. You learn about KVC, bindings, and keyvalue observing.

Chapter 7 introduces the Core Data framework. Core Data is Apple’s answer to object-relational mapping. We compare Core Data with other persistence solutions that you may be familiar with. At the end of the chapter, you use Core Data to add persistence to the Todo List application you built in chapter 3.

Chapter 8 discusses image manipulation, animation, and much more with Core Animation. Throughout the chapter, we go through examples to showcase what you can do with Core Animation once you scratch the surface.

Chapter 9 dives into the MacRuby-oriented mapping library HotCocoa. HotCocoa gives developers an alternative to Interface Builder by making it easy to create interfaces in code. You end up building a small application of your own.

Chapter 10 discusses testing with MacRuby. Testing is an essential part of software development, and it has gained a strong focus within the Ruby community. We look at different ways to test with MacRuby.

Chapter 11 explains how to release a MacRuby application to the world with the Mac App Store. We go into detail about the different review guidelines, how to provision your application for submission, and finally how to submit it for review.

Appendix A talks about scripting with MacRuby. We first provide a little history and an introduction to AppleScript. We then look at how you can use MacRuby to create scripts to automate functionality.

Code conventions

There are many code examples throughout this book. These examples always appear in a fixed-width code font. If we want you to pay special attention to a part of an example, it appears in a bolded code font. Any class name or method within the normal text of the book appears in code font as well.

Many of Cocoa’s methods have exceptionally long and verbose names. Because of this, line-continuation markers ( ➥) may be included in code listings when necessary. Not all code examples in this book are complete. Often we show only a method or two from a class to focus on a particular topic. Complete source code for the applications found throughout the book can be downloaded from the publisher's website at www.manning.com/MacRubyinAction.

Software requirements

An Intel-based Macintosh running OS X 10.6 or higher is required to develop MacRuby applications. You also need to download MacRuby, but it’s freely available at http://macruby.org.

The book offers full coverage of MacRuby and Xcode 4.

Author Online

Purchase of MacRuby in Action includes free access to a private web forum run by Manning Publications where you can make comments about the book, ask technical questions, and receive help from the authors and from other users. To access the forum and subscribe to it, point your web browser to www.manning.com/MacRubyinAction This page provides information on how to get on the forum once you’re registered, what kind of help is available, and the rules of conduct on the forum.

Manning’s commitment to our readers is to provide a venue where a meaningful dialog between individual readers and between readers and the authors can take place. It’s not a commitment to any specific amount of participation on the part of the authors, whose contribution to the AO remains voluntary (and unpaid). We suggest you try asking the authors some challenging questions lest their interest stray!

The Author Online forum and the archives of previous discussions will be accessible from the publisher’s website as long as the book is in print.

about the authors

BRENDAN G. LIM is a professional Ruby and Objective-C developer. He is also a noted conference speaker who specializes in developing Ruby on Rails, Android, iOS, and Mac applications. Brendan graduated from Auburn University where he studied Wireless Software Engineering. He is also a Y Combinator alum and cofounded the filesharing startup Kicksend. During his free time, Brendan enjoys rock climbing and taking photos and videos.

JERRY CHEUNG loves creating software. He started experimenting with Ruby on Rails in 2007 and has been hooked on Ruby ever since. Upon graduating from Berkeley, he joined Coupa, and later he went on to start his own company, Outspokes, with several friends from Berkeley. He currently works as a Rails engineer at Intridea and experiments with emerging technologies like MacRuby and Node.js. When he’s not furiously typing, Jerry might be out running, brewing beer, or enjoying a BBQ and getting a serious sunburn.

JEREMY MCANALLY is founder and principal at Arcturo, a web and mobile development firm. He spends his days hacking Ruby and Objective-C.

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THE VICUNA.

The Vicuna is the smallest species of the Llama genus. It is the same size as a Sheep, and strongly resembles the Llama, only that its shape is more elegant. Its legs, which are longer in proportion to the body, are more slender and better formed; its head is shorter and its forehead wider. Its eyes are large, intelligent and mild; its throat is of a yellowish color, while the remainder of its body is brown and white.

The rich fleece of this animal surpasses in fineness and softness any other wool with which we are acquainted. In order to obtain possession of the skin the American hunters pursue them even over the steepest summits of the Andes, when, by driving, they force them into pens, composed of tightly stretched cords, covered with rags of various colors, which frighten and prevent the prey attempting to escape. One of these battues sometimes produces from five hundred to a thousand skins.

THE MUSK DEER.

Although it belongs to the Deer family, the little Musk Deer is often classified with this group because it is without horns, and resembles the Camel family in its teeth and other characteristics. This is a graceful little animal, about the size of a half-grown Fawn of our common Deer. Its tail is very short, and it is covered with hair so coarse and so brittle that it is almost like bristles, but what especially distinguishes it, is its pouch filled with the substance so well known in medicine and perfumery under the name of musk.

The Musk Deer is a native of the mountainous region between Siberia, China and Thibet.

THE HORNED RUMINANTS.

The family of Common Ruminants form a natural group comprehending the greatest number of Ruminants. The feature which distinguishes the animals composing it, not only from the Camel family, but also from all the other Ruminants, is the existence of two horns on the forehead of the male, and sometimes on the female.

The structure of these horns presents various differences, and has caused the division of this large and important family into three tribes, namely, Ruminants with hairy and permanent horns, hollowhorned Ruminants and Ruminants which shed their horns.

RUMINANTS WITH HAIRY AND PERMANENT HORNS.

GIRAFFE.

This tribe consists of a single genus, that of the Giraffe, which has also but one species.

The height of the Giraffe, the singular proportions of its body, the beauty of its coat and the peculiarity of its gait, are sufficient to explain the curiosity which these animals have always excited.

Its long and tapering head is lighted up by two large, animated and gentle eyes; its forehead is adorned with two horns, which consist of a porous, bony substance, covered externally with a thick skin and bristly hair. In the middle of the forehead there is a protuberance of the same nature as the horns, but wider and shorter. The head of the Giraffe is supported by a very long neck. Along the neck is a short, thin mane. The body is short, and the line of the backbone is very sloping. Its fore-quarters are higher than the hinder a feature which is observed in the Hyena. Its legs are most extensively developed, and are terminated by cloven hoofs. The skin, which is of a very light fawn-color, is covered with short hair, marked with large triangular or oblong spots of a darker shade.

Giraffes are only found in Africa, and even there they are not numerous. They live in families of from twelve to sixteen members. They frequent the verge of the deserts, and are met with from the northern limits of Cape Colony to Nubia.

The usual pace of the Giraffe is an amble, that is to say, they move both their legs on one side at the same time. Their mode of progression is singular and very ungainly. At the same time as they move their body, their long neck is stretched forward, giving them a very awkward appearance. Their long neck enables them to reach with their tongue the leaves on the tops of high shrubs, which constitute a large part of their food.

RUMINANTS WITH HOLLOW HORNS.

These Ruminants have horns which are covered with an elastic sheath, something like agglutinated hair; they may be divided into two groups.

To the first group belong the Chamois, Gazelle, Saiga, Nyl-ghau, Gnu and Bubale. To the second group belong the Common Goat, the Mouflon or Wild Sheep, the Domestic Sheep and the Ox.

The most remarkable species belonging to the first division all come under the natural group formerly known by the name of Antelopes. It comprehends about a hundred species, which live, for the most part, in Africa. They are generally slender and lightly-made, fleet in running, of a gentle and timid disposition; they are gregarious, and are particularly distinguishable by the different shapes of their horns.

We shall glance at the most remarkable genera resulting from the division of the old general group of Antelopes.

THE CHAMOIS.

The chief characteristic of the Chamois is constituted by the smooth horns which are placed immediately above the orbits. These horns are almost upright, with a backward tendency, and curved like a hook at the end. The horns exist in both sexes, and are nearly the same size in each. The Chamois has a short tail, and no beard.

The European Chamois is about the size of a small Goat. It is covered with two sorts of hair—one woolly, very abundant, and of a brownish color; the other, silky, spare and brittle. Its coat is dark brown in winter and fawn-color in summer; its fine and intelligent head is of a pale yellow, with a brown stripe down the muzzle and round the eyes. Its horns are black, short, smooth, and not quite rounded.

This graceful Ruminant inhabits the Pyrenees and Alps, and also some of the highest points in Greece. But from constant persecution it has lately become so rare that few people can boast of having been successful in its pursuit.

The Chamois lives in small herds, in the midst of steep rocks on the highest mountain summits. With marvelous agility it leaps over ravines, scales with nimble and sure feet the steepest acclivities, bounds along the narrowest paths on the edge of the most perilous abysses, and jumping from rock to rock, will take its stand on the sharpest point, where there appears hardly room for its feet to rest; and all this is accomplished with an accuracy of sight, a muscular energy, an elegance and precision of movement, and a selfpossession which are without equal. From these facts, it can easily be understood that hunting this nimble and daring animal is an amusement full of danger.

On the approach of winter the Chamois goes from the northern side of the mountains, to the southern, but it never descends into the plain.

THE GAZELLES.

GAZELLES.

The Gazelles are animals of graceful shape, rather smaller in size than the Chamois. The horns are twice bent, in the shape of a lyre, and without sharp edges; the nostrils are generally surrounded by hair.

The eyes of this animal are so beautiful and so soft in expression, its movements are so elegant and so light, that the Gazelle is used by the Arab poets as the type of all that is lovely and graceful.

Gazelles proper are the species of this genus which are generally to be seen in our parks and menageries. Such, for instance, as the Dorcas Gazelle, which inhabits the large plains and Saharian region of Northern Africa. It is the same size as a Roe, but its shape is lighter and more graceful.

THE GNU.

GNU.

The Gnu, sometimes called the Gnu Antelope, inhabits Southern Africa. It is about the size of a Donkey, and is curiously formed. Added to its muscular and thick-set body, it has the muzzle of an Ox, the legs of a Stag, and the neck, shoulders and rump of a small Horse. Its head is flattened, and its brown hair is short. On its neck it has a mane of white, grey and black hair, and under its chin hangs a thick brown beard. It also has horns, something like those of the Cape Buffalo, which first bend downwards and then curve in an upward direction. It is not surprising with such a queer combination, that strange stories were told of this animal in the past, as it has the appearance of being made up of various portions of several other animals.

These strangely constructed animals are found in the mountainous districts to the north of the Cape of Good Hope, and probably throughout a large portion of Africa. They are very wild, and are swift runners and may be seen skimming along in single file following one of their number as a guide.

THE GOATS.

These animals differ among themselves to a wonderful extent in their shape, their color and even in the texture of their fleece. The Goats of Angora in Cappadocia are provided with a soft and silky clothing. Those of Thibet have become celebrated for the delicacy of a kind of wool which grows among their hair, from which Cashmere shawls are manufactured. In Upper Egypt is a race remarkable for the roughness of their coat, while the Goats of Guinea and of Judea are distinguished by the smallness of their dimensions, and by their horns, which are pointed backwards. But whatever may be the cause of these peculiarities, the whole race seems to retain the characters derivable from a mountain origin; they are robust, capricious, and vagabond; they prefer dry hills and wild localities, where they can procure only the coarsest herbage, or browse upon the shrubs and bushes. They are likewise very injurious in forests, where they destroy the young trees by devouring the bark. Their flesh is strong and rank, so that they are seldom eaten; nevertheless, their milk is an article of diet, and the Kid, while young, is tender and nutritious.

THE COMMON GOAT.

The Common Goat inhabits wild and mountainous regions in a state of semi-wildness, seeming to have little regard either for the protection or the neglect of people resident in its vicinity; but although not cared for, like its not very distant relative, the Sheep, it is by no means without its value. The Goat affords milk in considerable abundance; its hair, though more harsh than wool, is useful in the manufacture of various kinds of stuffs, and its skin is more valuable than that of the sheep. The Goat has more intelligence than the Sheep, and soon becomes familiar and attached; it is light, active, and less timid than the Sheep; it is capricious and loves to wander, to climb steep mountains, sleeping frequently on the point of a rock or the edge of a precipice. It is robust, and will feed on almost any plant. It does not, like the Sheep, avoid the mid-day heat, but sleeps in the sunshine, and exposes itself willingly to its full glare. It is not alarmed by storms, but appears to suffer from a great degree of cold.

THE IBEX.

The Ibex combines with the characters of the Goat the agility and fleetness of the Antelopes. “All readers of natural history,” says Col. Markham, “are familiar with the wonderful climbing and saltatory powers of the Ibex; and although they cannot (as has been described in print) make a spring and hang on by the horns until they gain a footing, yet in reality for such heavy animals they get over the most inaccessible-looking places in an almost miraculous manner. Nothing seems to stop them nor to impede their progress in the least. To see a flock, after being fired at, take a distant line across country, which they often do over all sorts of seemingly impassable ground, now along the naked surface of an almost perpendicular rock, then across a formidable landslip or an inclined plane of loose stones or sand, which the slightest touch sets in motion both above and below, dividing into chasms to which there seems no possible outlet, but instantly reappearing on the opposite side, never deviating in the slightest from their course, and at the same time getting over the ground at the rate of something like fifteen miles an hour, is a sight not to be easily forgotten.”

The Ibex inhabits the most inaccessible summits of the loftiest mountains of Europe, Asia and Africa, and may frequently be seen bounding from rock to rock among the highest peaks of their snowclad grandeur, climbing cliffs with the activity of a Bird, and disporting itself in regions unapproachable by any other quadruped.

THE BEZOARGOAT.

Goat Defending His Family from a Lynx.

There is a striking resemblance in form, the habit of living and character of the Bezoargoat, (extensively raised in mountainous

regions of Asia Minor, Persia and various islands of Greece) and the Stonebuck of the Alps. The body of the Bezoargoat is narrow and the limbs high. The long, strong horns form a uniformly curved arch, and both sexes have strong beards. The skin is colored reddish gray along the sides of the neck, growing lighter towards the body. The thigh is white both underneath and outside. The breast, chin and ridge of the nose is blackish brown. Their nourishment consists of dry grasses, cedar needles, leaves and fruits.

The Bezoargoats are very shy and experts in racing and climbing, venturing the most dangerous leaps with the utmost courage and dexterity. They are able to brave the greatest dangers. There is, nevertheless, a source of danger threatening their young from the Eagle, the Bearded Vulture and the Pardellynx. The Birds of Prey swoop rapidly and unexpectedly from the heights and carry off the young Kid; but the Pardellynx steals slyly upon the herd at pasture. This beautiful, slender, crafty beast of prey, about the size of the Lynx, which is also abundantly found in the Spanish mountains, eagerly hunts the Bezoargoat. Through his exceptionally keen sense of sight and hearing, the crafty, noiseless, sneaking Pardellynx frequently succeeds in stealing upon the herd and despite their watchfulness attempts to overpower one of the flock. The illustration on page 105 carries us into the mountain regions of Taurus. A Pardellynx has crept unnoticed upon a family of grazing Bezoargoats and has suddenly sprung upon the back of the old Goat, burying his fangs into the neck of his prize.

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